An Outdoor Shower
by AirgeadAgusFionn
Summary: Bucky's day sucked. It sucked really bad. First he had woke up late for some ridiculous meeting with Tony Stark because Steve wanted him to get an upgrade on his arm. Then, he noticed a pretty hot blond at the bus stop which effectively made his day worse because he could already feel himself enter the pining zone... great. [Winterhawk]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N ~ Something I wrote real fast bc I was in the WinterHawk mood and I couldn't resist. Ahhh! !? I have already started the second chapter and have a vague idea of how this will play out?**

 **Huge thanks to thesarcasticghost for helping me edit and betaing! Ilysm!**

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Bucky's day sucked. It sucked really bad.

First he had woke up late for some ridiculous meeting with Tony Stark because Steve wanted him to get an upgrade on his arm. Bucky didn't really care because the Russian one was doing fine. It worked just like a real arm so what upgrades was he gonna add, a whistle? A lazer pointer?

The meeting was going perfectly fine as well if you counted Tony talking and asking Bucky or Steve for their opinion on something in the design every once in a while. Well, it was right up until Bucky had mentioned that particular thought of how his old arm was fine to Stark. Stark looked shocked as he stared at him. He then reached over to his desk and, ever so eloquently, he pressed a finger to his answereing machine and called off all his plans and meetings for the day.

Without breaking eye contact.

Stevie's boy could be really fucking annoying when he wanted to be. He was droning on all day, just trying to convince him just why he needed this new arm, and how Stark tech was instantly better than any other tech.

Bucky was just gonna ignore the fact that he had an answering machine then.

Then, he noticed a pretty hot blond at the bus stop which effectively made his day worse because he could already feel himself enter the pining zone... For a guy he hadn't even talked to.

Bucky frowned as the guy laughed with a redhead that rolled her eyes at him. Damn his laugh was cute too.

They couldn't even sit on the bench because the sign for fresh paint was stocked up on the wooden boards beside it and the smell of the usual fresh paint chemicals wafted in the air amongst the polluted city air and smoke from the factory a few blocks away.

Bucky pulled his hoodie up closer to his face as he tried to ignore the guy and whatever him and his friend were talking about, which was harder than you could think because it was only the three of them waiting for the bus.

The bus which was taking its dammed time.

A sigh escaped his lips as he felt a raindrop on his nose. Fan-fucking-tastic. An outdoor shower was just what he needed to end the day.

Still, Bucky was nothing if not prepared. He pulled his backpack around to his front and routed through it until he found what he was looking for. A black umbrella.

He opened it in time for the rain to grow heavy around him, but thankfully he managed to keep his hair from getting wet. Steve thought he should get it cut but he kinda liked it.

After he was discharged his arm was gone and his hair and beard had grown. Although he mourned his arm, his Russain one did the job until he got out. His hair though, he like that change.

His beard on the other hand, had to go.

"Ah! My aids!"

Bucky glanced over to the Blond Wreck. He was clutching at his ears as if they were about to fall off. Were they? He said something about aids but he thought that was something else, not ears…

"So? Go under the umbrella," the redhead pointed out, completely unphased by her hair and clothes growing drenched. Blond Wreck pouted at her, and okay that was also cute. Stop.

Bucky coughed awkwardly. "There's enough space for two under here?" He winced as if came out more as a question.

Blond Wreck smiled widely, "Oh thanks!" He sidestepped over under the umbrella and away from the spray of rain. His whole side was pressed up against him to avoid it, but it's not like Bucky was complaining.

Redhead smirked at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. There was no way she could have though.

She raised an eyebrow, and shit. Could she?

"I'm Natasha," she said, "this idiot is Clint." She gestured to the blond with a nod of her head.

Clint.

Clint smiled at him. "Yep. Clinton Barton, don't forget the name. You'll need it." Bucky blinked at him. Was he… no. The raised eyebrow and sly smirk from Natasha suggested otherwise.

Damn, he was already in so deep.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "I guess I will." Bucky had never concentrated on watching rain fall so hard in his life. It was like watching paint dry, but with more excitement.

You know maybe he should watch the paint dry. Bucky glanced at the bench, and god. The white paint was running down to the ground and into the gutter nearby.

He pitied whoever was in charge of that.

And okay, it wasn't that exciting to watch the paint run, but it kept him from 'accidentally' staring at the Blond and Stupidly Attractive next to him. Standing under an umbrella had never made bim feel so claustrophobic and yet so free at the same time.

"Beautiful weather we're having," Clint said dryly, sticking a hand out from under the umbrella to catch raindrops, and he tried not to smile at how ridiculous this guy was.

"For ducks, maybe," Bucky replied horsely, trying to keep his façade up.

The other man let out a hearty laugh, and Bucky felt his heart stutter. Damn it. Slowly, he risked a glance at Clint's face

He had a lingering, small smile from his laughter. Who was allowed to have a smile that bright?!

And then there was Natasha, staring at Bucky with her seemingly all-knowing eyes, and a smirk to boot. Surely he wasn't being that obvious, right?

Shit. He totally was.

He was.

Shit, abort mission!

It was in that moment the bus decided to pull up and open its doors. "You getting this bus?"

Clint shook his head sadly, or maybe Bucky was projecting, "No, we're catching the next one."

Huh.

An idea occurred to Bucky as he handed the umbrella to him. "Here, you need it more than me. After all, I'll be on a warm heated bus."

Clint narrowed his eyes at him, "No need to brag."

Bucky shrugged a shoulder as he walked up to the steps of the bus, and in a surge of confidence, he added, "My phone number is on the handle." And then, despite his recent grumpiness, he smiled and winked.

Bucky caught one last look of Clint's surprised face before the doors shut. He groaned to himself.

Steve was gonna have a field day once he found out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N~ sorry, this is pretty late...life got in the way. *jazz hands* ?**

 **The texting part of this chapter looks pretty much better on ao3 and in my Jotterpad app and idk how it turned out here. (Pls validate how I had italicised and underlined every part of it and took 30 minutes. am ded)**

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A week went by and Bucky had been sent to Stark more times than he could count. That didn't stop that he had good days, when he'd talk and actually answer the intrusive questions Stark sent him over the holograms, and he had the bad days.

Those were when he'd find trouble getting out of bed and he'd hover in the corner of Stark's workshop and not even look up as he was asked any question. Those days usually came after the nightmares.

Stark didn't mention anything though, occasionally filling the silence with short comments or mumbling. Years of dating Steve had led him to understand PTSD a little , the man was living with it himself after what had happened to him in Afghanistan.

But Bucky would usually wake up at 4am, skin coated with a thin line of sweat and he worked hard to get his breathing back under control.

This was one of these days.

And to top it off, it started raining and Blondie hadn't called him. Not only because he really hoped he would, but Blondie also had his umbrella...

He was probably freaked out. Bucky was just so stupid, he was definetly creeped out by him. Otherwise he would have called.

"Bucky?"

Bucky ignored Steve in favour of curling up in the blanket cocoon on his bed. He didn't even want to move. Unfortunately, Steve was stubborn and not as small as he used to be.

He appeared in the doorway like some transporting cryptid and crossed his arms. "Buck…"

"Steve," Bucky grunted back, and yes, he knew he was being stubborn as well. He had to be. Or well, he wanted to be.

A sigh left Steve's lips as he deflated. "You need to eat, Buck," he said in a quiet voice. "You can't skip breakfast and then also skip lunch."

Bucky glared at him, although some of the heat was taken away with the fact he was in a blanket cocoon. "Watch me."

Steve let out a short huff of laughter, "Is this payback? For all those times I wouldn't wear your damn gloves, or refused to take my medicine?" He moved closer to the bed, and Bucky held in a growl.

He wasn't a dog for christ sake.

"Come on," Steve said, and grabbed his arm. Bucky let himself be hauled to his feet. He didn't have much fighting power left in him. He was practically wheeled into the kitchen.

The next few minutes passed in a blur and more like like a series of events rather than a lunch.

Steve sat him down.

Steve placed a plate in front of him.

Bucky shovelled the food into his mouth.

Steve pretended as though he wasn't watching his every move.

He didn't even remember what food it was. It didn't matter because it was food in the end.

Just then, a loud buzz came from Bucky's pants. His hand darted out and grabbed his phone from his pocket, assessing the screen as it turned on. A message had come from an unknown number.

 _Unknown Number: __hey_

Another message popped up.

 _Unknown Number: __Its clint by fhe way_

Bucky narrowed his eyes at 'fhe'. What was 'fhe'?

 _JB:_ _I'm saving your name under 'clint by fhe way'_

 _clint by fhe way:_ _Aw phone no_

 _clint by fhe way: __Im savin urs under 'my first message to people is mean'_

 _JB: Seems like a pretty long name_

 _clint by fhe way: Dont me_

 _clint by fhe way: Im trying to find a way to use ur text again u_

 _Pretty long name: 'Again' me?_

 _clint by fhe way: Yea lets go with that_

 _clint by fhe way: I still have ur umbrella and I don't want to be an umbrella thief so We should meet up some time_

 _Pretty long name: You know, that's a much better name_

 _Umbrella thief: What is_

 _Umbrella thief: Fuck_

Bucky huffed a short laugh and felt his mood instantly lift. Blondie had texted him back. He wasn't creeped out by him.

Steve was watching him from across the counter with a increased interest. "Who are you texting?"

"Nobody," Bucky said far too quickly and hid his phone by his thigh. Steve raised an eyebrow at him that wasn't nearly as powerful as the redhead's.

"You have a new friend?" Steve asked.

The phone buzzed another time and Bucky had to hold himself back from checking it, instead placing it face down beside his plate as if to say 'I don't care if you look at me strange when it buzzes'. Steve must have noticed if the smirk on his face was anything to go by.

"Fine, text your new friend. Leave old Steve out of it."

Bucky sighed, very aware of Steve's obvious attempt at weaning the answer out of him with guilt. What's worse was that it was working… well, Bucky just took pity on him. "His name is Clint."

Steve's eyebrows raised, "Barton?"

Bucky glanced up at him, "Uh, yeah actually. How do you–"

"His friend, Natasha?" Steve straightened up in his seat across from Bucky, a grimace flashed across his face, "She broke Tony's nose once."

A burst of laughter left Bucky. She fucking what?!

Steve looked down but Bucky caught the slight upturn of the corner of his mouth. "Yeah. Tony got drunk and a bit handsy with her before we got together and, long story short, Tony ended up with a broken nose. They've been a weird sort of friends who occasionly go out drinking together."

"Aw man, I wish I was there when she did that," Bucky said. Steve sent him a half hearted glare that he ignored. "I'm meeting up with him."

Steve furrowed his eyebrows. "When did you two meet again?"

"Bus stop, yesterday," Bucky supplied, not looking up as he unlocked his phone.

 _Umbrella thief: __You're mean ya know?_

Bucky smirked, and ignored Steve's loud sigh.

 _Pretty long name:_ _As I've been told_

 _Umbrella thief: __And im telling you again_

 _Umbrella thief: __Meanie_

 _Pretty long name: __Oh however will I recover from your harsh harsh words?_

 _Umbrella theif: __Youll find a way_

 _Pretty long name: __I'm gonna just say you are staying as an umbrella thief bc u have my umbrella_

 _Umbrella thief: __U wan it back? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

 _Pretty long name: __1\. Yes._ _2\. How did you type that face?_

 _Umbrella thief: __( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

 _Umbrella thief: __u shall never know ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

 _Pretty long name: __I'm gonna just copy and paste from your text_

 _Pretty long name: __( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

 _Umbrella thief: __*sigh*_

 _Pretty long name: __Did you just *sigh* ?_

 _Umbrella thief: __Yes *sighs*_

 _Pretty long name: __Ok this has got to be one of the weirdest texting conversations I have had in a while_

 _Umbrella thief: __*( ͡~ ͜ʖ ͡°) *_

 _Pretty long name: __I just need my umbrella…_

 _Umbrella thief: __Come and get it then_

 _Pretty long name: __I would actually love to but I don't know where you live_

Was that wierd? He was basically asking the guy where he lived.

 _Umbrella thief: __I'll tell u where to meet then bc I dont just give my address to people who haven't even bought me dinner yet :p_

 _Pretty long name: __Well how about the cafe beside the bus stop we met at?_

 _Umbrella thief: __Does it serve coffee?_

 _Pretty long name: __Well…it is a cafe_

 _Umbrella thief: I_ _'ll bring the umbrella, make sure you have the caffeine_

 _Umbrella_ _thief:_ _( ͡° 3 ͡°)_

 _Pretty long name: __The caffeine will be in the cafe, I don't need to bring it?_

 _Umbrella thief: __Shhh_

 _Umbrella thief: __Let me have thas one super spy moment_

 _Umbrella thief: __should I wear a trenchcoat and sunglasses?_

 _Pretty long name: __No_

 _Umbrella thief: __Swish_

 _Pretty long name: __I swear to god if I walk in and see you in a heavy coat and fake mustache I will turn around and walk out_

 _Umbrella thief: __A fake mustache is a great idea!_

 _Pretty long name: __You know what? You can keep the umbrella_

 _Umbrella thief: __Fine nó mustache_

 _Pretty long name: __Thank you_

 _Umbrella thief: __Can't promise the same for the sunglasses though_

 _Pretty long name: __Oh my god_

After that the text died down, presumably for Clint to run off and get sunglasses…well whatever floated that guy's boat. Bucky shoved his phone into his pocket and ignored Steve's obvious attempt to get him to help with the dishes.

Looked like he had a date then.


End file.
